Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...

GRADING MORE GOATs
The Card: Patrick Mahomes 2017 Panini The Rooks #RO-PM
The Reason Graded: Just like I've mentioned in past months, I've made it a focus to get most -- if not all -- of my Mahomes rookie-year cards slabbed up since I actually had amassed a few from that year. (That was mostly because I was hitting the retail clearance bins pretty hard.) This one is an insert from the stone cold -- at least back then -- Panini NFL set that was a relatively simple release and had a hit in every box yet really sat everywhere for a long time. (Why? The border designs felt pretty heavy to me but for others it may have just been too low-end.) Not that long ago, I slabbed his basic RC from this so I figured I needed to get this one into a case, too.
The Grade: CSG 9.5

Reality Check: It was pretty clean just like last time as it earned one of the tougher grades from CSG. I figure once a pop report comes (sometime soon*) this should look like a pretty solid card. I don't see there being a large number of 10s coming with this paper stock and I figure a lot of these cards were probably graded in BGS or PSA slabs long before I got around to doing mine.

Keep reading for more of this month's pick-ups and new slabs for Buzz.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ...

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WITH CLAWS I
The Card: Wolverine sketch card by Skip Charron -- 2017 Upper Deck Marvel Annual Sketch Cards (1/1)
The Price: $24
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There are a boatload of quality sketch cards out there in the world that seem seriously undervalued right now despite the fact that everything is one of a kind. This one is nice -- a color piece of an iconic character -- but these types of cards are also really the kind of item where one can't say "go grab all of these" as they are one of a kind and they can all be so different between artists and subjects. Why does this one lead off this time? To make that point -- if you can't find boxes, don't like prices on new Rated Rookies who haven't even hit your store shelves yet or just want to try something different ... then you might check out stuff you might not have at this time a year or two ago. That's what I did here.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this one ... see all Marvel boxes here

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2021 Panini Chronicles UFC trading cards
Arrives: Oct. 6
Box basics: Two autos per six-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: UFC gets the Chronicles treatment with several brands all found in one spot -- more than 20 in this debut edition.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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A STEAL ON JOE WILLIE
The Card: Joe Namath 2015 Panini National Treasures Century Materials Holo Silver (/15)
The Price: $20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one is a steal for the volume made and considering that, unlike a number of Namath's recent memorabilia cards, it's got a game-used piece inside of it and not a player-worn swatch. I easily would have paid more for a card like this for this brand (one I've historically liked) with a prime piece and so few made. In fact, I'm sure I have paid more for cards with more copies made compared to this. Would I go this high for a player-worn card? Perhaps but it wouldn't have been as easy of a no-brainer to grab.
Grab a box right here: National Treasures football boxes (all years)

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: The National, Shohei Ohtani Rookie Cards, MLB busts this year and big pulls in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: New MLB breaks, new MLB NFTs, UFC buys, young MLB sluggers, NSCC chatter and BGS reactions in this alphabet-loaded edition.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2021 Panini Prizm UFC (blaster box)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2021 Panini Prizm UFC (blaster box)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Forgotten GOAT cards, big breaks, MLB chatter, UFC Prizm color and more in today's edition.

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What: 2021 Panini Select UFC trading cards
Arrives: July 2
Box basics: Two autos and one memorabilia card per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Select gets in the Octagon for the first time with stars of the past and present all in play as part of the tiered format for the base set that's accented by a number of inserts in a brand that's fueled by plenty of color and energy. This one is also the home of the first autographed memorabilia cards for UFC from Panini.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: NBA chatter, ripping Prizm UFC, new pulls, an international box break and pondering some iconic NFL cards.

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The Club opens on Friday.

To be more accurate, it's the Panini Instant Access Club for UFC fans -- well, 325 UFC fans that is ... and that's it.

Beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern on Friday, memberships (price not revealed) will be available until they are gone. Members receive "a year’s worth of exclusive trading card content honoring the biggest superstars and personalities in the UFC."

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... a number of pick-ups from recent months.

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(FULLY) LOADING UP 
The Card: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps WWE Fully Loaded Green (/50) & Purple (/25) Chair Relic Autos
The Prices: Less than others have paid ... but high for me.
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Green parallel here was one on my radar long, long ago when the teaser images from stars were teased online as they signed here. Ripley, now the Raw women's champ, is one of only a few younger stars in this release and was immediately on my radar when I didn't land any of her ink in my pre-ordered case. Meanwhile, the rarer Purple was a recent pick-up as it was bargain-priced compared to others out there on the secondary market. Her stuff is popular with the standard version the only card here typically under $100 on eBay, while the 1/1 version of this card recently sold for $1,000. Her autographs in other releases generally sell pretty well but I haven't seen others that high recently ... but I'm sure it's possible. Some Superfractors should be out there somewhere from Chrome and Finest. I'm not alone as a buyer, either.
Grab a box right here: 2020 Topps WWE Fully Loaded

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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What: 2021 Panini Prizm UFC trading cards
Arrives: April 28
Box basics: Two autographs per 12-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Panini America gets in the Octagon with Prizm being its premiere release in its new deal with UFC.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Tiger Woods, Topps Chrome UFC potential, pondering print runs and more in today's edition.

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Panini Prizm UFC cards are on the way.

That's just one of the developments finally confirmed today as Panini America and UFC have finally formally unveiled their new exclusive licensing deal to make officially licensed cardboard for the promotion.

"We are thrilled to welcome Panini America as UFC’s new official collectible trading card partner," said UFC Senior VP of Global Consumer Products Tracey Bleczinski in a prepared statement. "Many of our fans use collectible trading cards to stay connected to our brand and to their favorite UFC athletes and Panini America is the industry leader, creating innovative and unique products for our fans to enjoy."

Details were not released but it was described as a multi-year licensing agreement.

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In its first 10 months, The Modern Wax Fund reflected some crazy times in the sports card world.

How crazy? The Fund's valuation report of the underlying asset holdings during its rookie season shows an overall increase of 195.1 percent, fueled by an explosion of interest for the recent-year NBA assets. Basketball boxes alone jumped 301 percent in a year, while NFL also had a 164-percent jump and "other sports" (in lower total volume) jumped 194 percent.

This first-of-its-kind private-equity fund focused on trading cards is a creation of Attic Investments and Blowout Cards. It started with more than $3 million in unopened product -- some of the rarest and most-desired baseball, basketball, football and other cards from the modern era -- last February with a $25,000 minimum buy-in from investors.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: The Super Bowl is set, examining Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes cards, ripping UFC and more breaks in this Monday edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Collectors react to the Don Sutton news, collector pet peeves, Kevin Durant, UFC ink to grab, soccer breaks and some oldschool Marvel cardboard all in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: James Wiseman, old NBA logoman cards, Tiger Woods, soccer, big breaks and ... a run on early and key UFC autographs?

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Vintage memorabilia cards, a 1952 Topps hypothetical, 2020 Bowman Draft and more in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Chewing on the new Hall of Fame ballot, Theo Epstein, big pulls, inside a UFC case and more in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big breaks, a Baker Mayfield show-off thread, MMA Rookie Cards and more in a waiting-for-the-weekend edition to start the day.

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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SUPPLY VS. DEMAND ... 
The Item: Conor McGregor 2014 Topps UFC Bloodlines Ruby parallel (/8)
The Price: Sold for $125
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I don't normally showcase old auctions but this one struck me as a tad surprising but also as a situation to offer up some thoughts, though it is admittedly a rare parallel card of a top name. What happens when wax boxes vanish because they get ripped and then rare stuff pops back up on the market years after a deluge? Well, sales like this and it's seemingly not alone as I have seen some Relic lots and other inclusions here command similar prices when they might not normally -- at least under conventional thinking that's not all that realistic about the markets. This brand is one with a hit in every box and 10 packs, too, making it a safe rip and a relatively fun one (I liked it and I'm not the biggest UFC fan) and in the box I opened I landed a parallel like this one -- mine was Ronda Rousey. The auto checklist has some solid names and every box also includes a cool engot card that can also command a few bucks and a lot more than you might think if it's a key name. I noticed a box of this one in stock over in the store and I'd totally grab it if I did higher-priced boxes more regularly ... but instead I'll let one of you do the honors and show me what I could have had.
Similar Pieces: Other 2014 UFC Bloodlines cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2014 Topps UFC Bloodlines

Keep reading for a few more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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Fast Five is a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? Five areas of collecting perhaps overlooked by many.

VINTAGE-ERA PLAYER GAME-USED MEMORABILIA CARDS
With some card companies moving toward player-worn memorabilia cards for living legends along with the prospects a little more than in the past, I think game-used memorabilia cards of Hall of Famers and other notables from vintage years (for this argument I'd go pre-1990s players, but even moreso 1970s and before) seem like a safer buy with finds for all budget types. Some brands -- National Treasures, Prime Cuts, Classics, Museum Collection, Flawless and Immaculate Collection for example -- seem to ride older players' presences a little harder than others and you can find some gems. NT baseball for Hall of Famers, for example, is a prime spot for solid cards with bats a little easier than jerseys. For cheaper finds of players with fewer cards and still some nice possibilities, I'd suggest looking in this same realm at NFL and NBA sets ... some of those players simply may not have cards made in the future as the game-used items just aren't easy finds compared to baseball. (A glance at major auction house catalogs show that, too -- it can be nearly all MLB with other sports a seeming afterthought ... and that's where card companies often do their shopping.) Skepticism about origins of swatches have softened markets at times, but you'd be surprised what you can find out there under $100 ... heck even under $50 if shipping with a focus. Who should you pick up? Pick up who you like or who seems to be a good buy.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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